Typical rocking toys use the replica of a horse, or some other animal, which is supported on rockers in the form of arcuate, floor engaging members. The rockers are generally interconnected by a pair of transversely extending frame members, and the animal replica is generally supported on the rockers by attaching the legs of the animal replica to the rockers.
The replica is usually provided with a saddle-like seat, or other supporting surface on which the rider sits. A pair of foot rests, which are often in the configuration of stirrups, extend laterally from the replica. Hand grips, often in the form of pegs, are provided which extend transversely from the replica, generally in the area of the neck, or head, portion.
When using prior art rocking toys, the rider is generally required to lean forwardly from the seating portion in order to reach the hand grips. As such, the rider is not sitting erect. This forced posture can tire the rider, and the taller the rider, the more pronounced is the degree to which the child must lean forwardly while riding--i.e., rocking--on the toy. The forward leaning posture is even more pronounced when the rider stands on the foot rests.
Partly as a result of these inherent problems, the true rocking horse gave way to the spring mounted ride-on toy which is supported from a fixed (i.e., non-rocking) frame. The spring mounted rocking toy also employs the replica of an animal, most often a horse. The spring mounted arrangement permits the initial attitude of the replica to be such that the rider is more erect while in the sitting position, but even on these toys the rider is required to adopt an uncomfortable forwardly leaning posture, particularly if the child attempts to stand on the foot rests. It should also be understood that the spring mounted replica can not provide a rocking motion that is desirably limited to the sagittal plane of the toy. Rather, the movement is more erratic, with some components of the complex, and erratic, motion being sagittal and some being lateral. Particularly for the young chile, this erratic motion can be disconcerting.